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4 typical use cases for Dualog Drive

As the need for ships to stay in touch with shore increases, the ability to manage data transfer on challenging bandwidth conditions across a fleet becomes essential. Dualog’s new file and folder replication service Dualog® Drive is designed to streamline the collection and distribution of large data volumes between ship and shore.

In modern shipping, there is a clear need for digitally connected systems that can work together efficiently. A vessel IT architecture has become more complex, and in addition to the traditional IT systems, we are now seeing more and more OT systems connected to the Internet.

Access to mission-critical data is crucial

A modern ship generates more data than ever before. As a shipowner or operator, you need to have this data available at all times and make qualified decisions based on it.

Data can also be shared among various stakeholders in the supply chain, enabling collaborative decision making that benefits each one of them and the industry as a whole. Moreover, access to data is vital for several stakeholders within a shipping company.

The Operations Department is responsible for the monitoring of the fleet’s performance (engine, fuel consumption, etc.) and all things related to managing the vessels, such as providing safety documentation and reporting to the DPA all incidents, pollution incidents and other major operations cases for initiating necessary corrective action.

The Chartering Department will focus on the “well-being” of the cargo as well as voyage instructions, port arrival times, and so on.

The IT Department (if there is one) will focus on their domain and deal with the digital data-processing functions of the company.

To achieve the best coordination of fleet and shipping company, all these departments rely on a seamless ship-to-shore flow of real-time data. This is why integrating ships with shore has become crucial, as the industry needs onboard data to be distributed effectively and securely ashore as well as across fleet or ship groups.

The new data sharing service that meets industry demands

Typical land-based file sharing solutions such as Dropbox and OneDrive pose several problems in shipping. They are complicated to configure and monitor, or even archive and search for the completed or failed transfers. Bandwidth is very limited and expensive, and most of the available solutions are not built for maritime use. Without proper data prioritisation and bandwidth optimisation, such solutions can bring about unexpected costs in operation.

This is why Dualog has created a secure and efficient file and folder replication service – Dualog Drive. Tailormade for maritime operations, Dualog Drive offers a comprehensive file transfer and sharing service far beyond that of Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, and similar services.

Conclusion

Addressing both operational pains, security pains and business pains, Dualog® Drive is purpose-built to take the pain out of replicating files between ship and shore.

The system simplifies and streamlines the collection and distribution of data between your vessels’ IT and OT systems and shore operations. Whether you need to distribute files one-to-many or many-to-one, or one large file or thousands of files in multiple sub-folders, Dualog Drive handles these challenges directly.

By Marko Ikonomovic, Dualog

Source: https://cyprusshippingnews.com